WATCH: World’s Busiest Airport Reports Three-Hour TSA Wait Times Amid Democrat-Led Shutdown

The ongoing Democrat-led partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has led to wait times exceeding three hours at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the world’s busiest airport. The ongoing delays come as more than 400 TSA agents have already resigned due to missed paychecks.

The shortages have occurred during the peak spring break travel season, when passenger volumes are higher. Footage from some of the nation’s busiest airports, including Denver, Dallas and Atlanta, show lines stretching around baggage claim areas, while TSA pre-check lines have exceeded more than an hour.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest in the world by passenger traffic, has recorded some of the more notable delays. Over the lasts several days, security lines at the main and north checkpoints reached 75 to 120 minutes, with isolated reports of waits extending to three hours or longer. In one instance, airport staff informed passengers of potential three- to five-hour delays, and several domestic checkpoints were temporarily closed or consolidated due to insufficient personnel.

🚨HOLY CRAP!!!

The Atlanta TSA line has now stretched to a stunning 153 minute-wait-time… AT 6AM IN THE MORNING!!!!

The line is WRAPPING AROUND BAGGAGE CLAIM!!!

THIS IS PURE INSANITY!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/2MluEMjitJ

— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) March 22, 2026

Absenteeism rates among TSA officers at the airport averaged around 38 percent on certain days, contributing directly to the backups

At George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, wait times hit two hours in some terminals, with staff call-out rates reaching as high as 40 percent. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport recommended that passengers arrive at least three hours before departure.

In Philadelphia, three security checkpoints were closed for periods due to staffing constraints, and airports such as John F. Kennedy International in New York also saw elevated absence levels between 25 and 40 percent.

JUST IN🚨: Major disruption at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) this morning 😳 Several TSA checkpoints (including A-West, C, and F) are temporarily closed due to staffing issues from the ongoing partial gov shutdown. Lines shifting—arrive early! pic.twitter.com/j0zYpyBLPG

— Officer Lew (@officer_Lew) March 19, 2026

The TSA employs approximately 50,000 officers who have continued operations as essential personnel during the funding lapse. These workers missed their first full paychecks in mid-March, after which more than 300 officers resigned nationwide.

Call-out rates have averaged 10 percent or higher across the country on affected days, with higher concentrations at busy airports.

Senate Democrats opted to move forward with the shutdown on February 14 in hopes of obtaining “reforms” to federal immigration enforcement. In hopes of securing demands that would essentially end the process of deporting illegal aliens in the United States, the minority party moved to defund DHS despite the fact that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are fully funded through 2029.

The ongoing shutdown has had massive impacts on other agencies under the DHS umbrella, however, including the U.S. Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Agency (TSA). More than 400 TSA agents have quit since the shutdown began, while hundreds of others have been forced to call out and work other jobs while their paychecks are withheld.

Despite disastrous effects, Senate Democrats continue to blame Republicans for the shutdown, even though all members of their conference with the exception of John Fetterman (D-PA) have voted to continue.

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